President of the United States

10/13/2024 | Press release | Distributed by Public on 10/13/2024 15:53

Remarks by President Biden Before Air Force One Departure | Tampa, FL

MacDill Air Force Base
Tampa, Florida

12:35 P.M. EDT

Q Mr. President, where was Governor DeSantis? Did you speak with him while you were here?

THE PRESIDENT: No, I didn't.

But I - by - by the way, I think we're making real progress. Everybody seems pretty happy with the way it's going. We're not leaving. We're provi- - we're going to - the next thing to do, we're trying to make sure we get the money in there for small businesses; talking to the Congress to see if they can get the money quickly. It's important.

So, you saw, I mean, Republicans and Democrats are happy with what we're doing. And so, we're making progress. We're making progress.

Q Sir, could you -

Q On the THAAD. Did you - wh- - why did you decide to give the permission for the THAAD to be deployed in Israel?

THE PRESIDENT: To defend Israel.

Q Any - any worries about it?

Q Is the misinformation hurting FEMA's ability to respond?

12:36 P.M. EDT